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I´ve recently moved to Palma and am looking for Deckhand work as I try to work my way onto White Boats. Before coming over here I attended the Australian Maritime College and did my Master Class 5, thinking, this should give me a leg up when I get there!

The more I hand out my CV and more people I talk to the more I wonder about the thousands of $$$ and 3 months I spent going to school in Tasmania.... is a Captain likely to see any value in it??

there is so many other aussies in the same situation as you. if you hold a mc5 you can apply for a offshore yachtmaster through the rya. i did it before flying over and its a bit of a run around, you need to get a rya sea service book and get your college to fill it in for you. it does seem to count for alot over here tho as all anyone seems to be interested in is yachting tickets and dont want to hear about anything else.

i take it if you have your mc5 tho you would have a fair amount of time working on boats and shouldnt have to much trouble finding work.

Hey Aussie,
Yes welcome to the yachtie situation and realisation that the world, especially the MCA, will not recognise Aussie tickets. I am an Aussie that went to NZ and am now at New Zealand Maritime School doing yacht tickets that are 100% direct equivilent to MCA yacht tickets.
Have a look at http://www.maritime.ac.nz/2009.pdf
NZ are human when it comes to seatime and NZ will of course recogise Aussie tickets. This gives you a start.
Regards
Rocka

Mate Welcome!
I've been here 5 years now arriving in the USA with my Master Class 4 obtained in Tasy. Being aware before i left that i 'may' have to take a few subjects to square up a ticket that would be accepted in Yachting. The thing was it was more than just a few subjects, to match the Master class 4 level. The only concession i found after many emails and letters to the MCA and RYA was when The Head of RYA in Australia Penny O'hare (from memory) Would allow you to set up with a school In the USA the opportunity to obtain your Yachtmaster Offshore by only completing the Practical part of the Course while being exempt from the shore base portion of the course, due to your master class 5 licence.. It will save you some money and time. Then start on completing your OOW 3000gt, they will not give you any exemptions, but if you did the STCW subjects in Tassy... they will give you full credit for the basic STCW short courses(Fire fighting ect.)
And to answer you question NO it wasn't a waist of time, AMC is a excellent training facility, which would have taught you subjects in more detail than learnt in the Yachting courses.

Any Aussie yacht captain, and there are hundreds of us, will see, and recognize the effort and "REAL" sea time that goes into a Master class 5 or 4. The training is quality, and in done in a much more hands on and real life environment.
Unfortunately, legally, it isn't worth the paper its written on. I did my 5 and 4, then started work overseas and have yet to use either for one day commercially. Like the rest of us, I just started all over again. Its costly and time consuming, so right up front you have to ask yourself, how many years do you want to spend in "overseas" yachting.

Hey Aussie,
I think the others have covered most of the bases. If your in Fort Lauderdale I would suggest MPt Training. If you still in Australia, give Chris Brown at the Sydney Super Yacht Academy a ring and he will assist you in getting the correct MCA ticket to assist you in getting work outside of Australia.
Good luck.

There are many avenues you can follow. I started OS ten years ago with an unrestricted 5. I was able to go to the Hamble School of Yachting where I did the practicle exam for the Yacht Master Offshore. Once I did this I did the Atlantic crossing 600nm ocean passage for my sights. A one week celestial course at IYT in Florida and then gained the Yacht Master Ocean unlimited, which is now the Master 200 tons. This was by far the fastest and cheapest way to move forward quickly. As mentioned above your ticket is regarded by fellow Australians as a good ticket to hold. It proves you have a specified amount of seatime at sea not at the dock. Keep networking with the end of season coming your chances to find a delivery will increase and once you have your foot in the door you'll be fine. Work hard and only take jobs you know you'll be happy doing as short term positions don't look good on a CV. All the best.

Hey guys, good posts...
I don't know about MC5, but from what I have been told that is a state ticket. I'm just about to finish my STCW95 Mate/Master 500GT ticket. Have oral assessment with AMSA soon.
Being an AMSA STCW95 ticket, is that any different? What are the chances of getting a job in yachts with that?

Simmo, I would suggest you apply for your 500ton ticket with the MCA upon completion of your orals. Also check to see if the USCG will accept it once you have sat your orals here in the US. DAV.

Won't be necessary. If the Flag State of the vessel accepts his license, the USCG will accept it. No special license to operate a foreign vessel in US waters. The USCG will not accept anything but a USCG license on a US flag vessel requiring licensed positions. At this time, no US flag vessel operating as a private recreational vessel requires a license regadless of size. There are individual states of registration that may require a "Boat Drivers License" which is a quick akin to that for an automobile. There are only a few states that require such. The USCG does not issue CoeCs, and only issues licenses to US citizens, with the exception of the OUPV (Operator Uninspected Passenger Vessel) or "six pack" license restricted to 25 grt. Very similar to your "Coxswain's" ticket. They will issue that to a Resident Alien.

Guys( told to me by a martime lawyer in the UK last year)The problem with Aussie tickets ( including an aussie Yachtmaster) not being recognised by the MCA and most other juristrictions is that the government along with the US HAS NOT fully signed up to the STCW-95.If they had you would not be able to get a ticket called a master whatever except an unlimited master which is recognised internationally.

In the past OZ tickets were state issued ( maybe still are I haven't been there for 20 years)and that is where the fundamental problem lays.You will not ( very difficult) get international recognition except from a federal body.

The other issue that catches people out is MCA (yacht) tickets also do no exist under stcw-95 rules and therefore are also not internationally recognised.Take the wrong size vessel into the wrong country and you could have a problem.

I see the MCA has slipped in a new 'Master of yacht over 200 tonne' to cover these yacht people without stcw-95 tickets.Any MCA yacht ticket only allows you to be a cadet or cook on a commercial vessel.

I am an Aussie and now work on commercial vessels and have had to start again, course and sea time wise.